1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to flashlights and more specifically to a device for removably holding in position an accessory such as a reflector or a light box on the casing of a flashlight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of known devices of this type have already been employed in the prior art for changing an accessory or else for detaching the accessory from the casing in order to facilitate transport while at the same time ensuring better protection of the casing.
In one of these known devices, a reflector is held in position on the flashlight casing by means of a bayonet coupling. This device requires the use of a part which is mounted separately on the reflector and is also liable to fall after it has been rotated through an angle of a few degrees.
Another known device comprises means for connecting the reflector to the flashlight casing and consisting of studs which are placed on the neck of the reflector and are intended to cooperate with a helical groove formed in the casing. This solution, however, also calls for a part which is added on the reflector.
In another known device, the reflector is held in position on the flashlight casing by means of several retaining tongues which are attached to the casing and urged towards the reflector by screws so as to be applied against the internal wall of the reflector neck in order to maintain the reflector in position by clamping.
There is also known another device comprising three clamps or claws which project outwards from the casing and are formed at one end of arms mounted for radial pivotal displacement within the flashlight casing. The opposite ends of these arms are connected to a rotary control plate by means of a link-rod system comprising articulated and pivoting levers.
The plate of this device can be rotated by means of a control lever which is rigidly fixed to the plate and this movement of rotation actuates the link-rod system which causes the claw-carrying arms to pivot and thus to bring the claws towards or away from the internal wall of the reflector neck in order to fix or release the reflector.
The device just described has a large number of parts and is very complicated to manufacture since it also has a large number of articulations and stationary shafts.
The aim of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the devices mentioned in the foregoing by proposing a holding device which has very few parts, which is simple to manufacture and which is very reliable. By means of this device, an accessory can be securely mounted and very rapidly removed. In addition, the accessory can be conveniently oriented by a movement of rotation while being securely held in position.